Developing Characters is No Mystery

Characters make your story. Your novel comes to life when your characters come to life. Your main characters are important, but don’t forget your minor characters. You won’t spend as much time and story space on them, but the sentence you write about them must make them stick in your reader’s mind. Here are some strategies that help reveal characters.

•Mannerisms, those little gestures and movements that set people apart are important character builders. Consider body language such as facial expressions—smiles, frowns, scowls, direct eye contact; gestures such as fidgeting or covering the mouth or blinking; other behaviors such as a firm handshake, leaning forward with interest, or rigidly crossed arms.

•You can reveal information about a character and his personality through that character’s thoughts, words, and actions.

•A person’s history and upbringing play a large part in forming his personality. This is the back story. Where does your character come from? What are the joyful and painful experiences life has dealt him? These are the elements that have formed her values and attitudes. Interweave the character’s history into the plot in small portions throughout the story.

•Use characters’ perceptions of other characters. Two characters may describe the same story person differently: A sister may see her brother as lovable. A brother may see him as dependable. A colleague values the same man because of his insight. A lover despises him for another reason.

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